Electrical connecter



July 1927' w. P. GISSKE ELECTRICAL CONNECTER HIM Patented July 19, 1927.

UNITED STATES I i t WALTER P. GISSKE, OF CHICAGO, ILLmOIS.

ELnc'rnIcAr.

Application filed I'm a,

My invention relates to electrical connecters, and more particularly to a resilient means for connecting a conductor to a terminal, such for example, as a spark plug terminal.

It is a purpose of the invention to provide means for readily connecting a conductor to the terminal by resilient means so that a good electrical connection is provided which can be made without the use of any tools, or without unscrewing any parts, or screwing any parts together. Preferably the connecter comprises the resilient member having substantially parallel end portions connected by an intermediate bowed portion, one of said end portions being provided with an opening for receiving a member on the other end ortion, said member being preferably provided with a head adapted to pass through said opening, and with an abutment between which and said end portion a conducting member may be clam ed. The terminal is preferably so made t atit will receive a conductor having a terminal. thereon that is made in the form of a loop or eye, but if so desired, the connecter may be so made that it will receive an ordinary straight conductor, such as a wire. The resilient member may be made of sheet metal or of spring wire, and may be secured to a spark plug by means of a nut having a head thereon, which nut is threaded on the ordinary threaded upper end ortion of the central contact member of tile spark plug, or the central contact of the spark plug may be made with a head and an abutment thereon for receiving said resilient member. The connecting member will, however, not be limited in its use to spark lugs, or similar articles, but maybe provied with a. wood screw or any other suitable means for detachably mounting the same on a support of either insulating or conducting material.

It is a articular purpose of the invention to provi e a resilient connecter which is easily moved into and out of connecting position. In order to provide a device that is easily operated, the end portion, having the opening through which the head is' adapted to be passed, is provided with a slot or opening that has a wide portion and a narrow portion, thus forming an opening of the shape of a key-hole slot, and the member for receiving the conductor is preferably nor- CONNE CTER.

1922. Serial No. 565,438.

mally aligned with the narrow portion of 5b the slot whereby the head on said member will prevent disconnection of the conductor receiving member and the said end of the resilient clip. Upon movement of the said end ortion of the clip or connecter in an up- 00 ward direction and in a direction transversely of the conductor receiving member, the enlar ed or widened portion of the opening is adapted to be aligned with the head of the'me'mber so as to permit the ready removal of the end of the resilient clip from the headed member. It will be seen that by such movement, the head will readily pass through the wider portion of the opening, but unless both an upward andtransverse movement takes Place the head will not be aligned with the widened portion of the opening, thus preventing disengagement of the terminal on the conductorfrom the connecter by an upward movementthereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description of the accompanying drawings roceeds. However, I desire to have it distinctly understood that .I do not intend to limit myself to the exact details'shown or described, but that I intend to include as part of my invention all such obvious changes and modifications of parts as would occur to a person skilled in this art and as would fall within the scope H of the claims. I

In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing my improved electrical connecter mounted on a spark plug Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the headed nut;

Fig. 4 is'a view similar to Fig. 1 of a modified form of the device;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 4, partly'broken away;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary 'sectiona view of said form of the device;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a spring clip made of spring wire; M 1

Fig. 8 isa sectional view of a -further modified form of the device; and

Fig. 9 is a top plan View of the clip shown in Fig. 1.

Referring'in detail to the drawings, in Figs. 1' and 2 is shown a spark plug 11 having the central contact 12 upon the upper end of 8 which is mounted the headed nut 13, said nut 13 having screwthreade-d engagement with the .outer end portion of said central contact. The nut 13 is provided with a narrowing neck portion 14 and a head 15,- and is adapted to clam the resilient connection clip 16 between itself and the shoulder 17 which is provided with an opening 21 therein, which has a widened portion of a somewhat larger diameter than the head 15, and a narrow end portion 22, which is of a smaller diameter than the head 15, said head being normally aligned with the narrow portion 22 of the slot so that the same engages the member adjacent the-narrow portion with the reduced neck 14 extending through the same.

The member 20 is provided with the finger piece 23 whereby the same may be pressed upwardly and laterally due to the bowed portion 19 therein, so as to cause the head 15 to align with the large part of the opening in the member 21 to permit removal of the end 20 from the headed member or nut 13. Preferably a conductor 24 having a terminal member 25 thereon, which is provided with a suitable enlarged end portion 26 having the substantially circular opening 27 therein, is connected with the connecting member and with the spark plug by placing the enlarged end 26 over the headed member 13 with the headed member extending through the opening 27 between the head 15 and the enlarged portion of the nut 13 which serves as an abutment for said member.

- In the form shown in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, the spark plug 11' is provided with a central contact member 12 which has a circular enlargement or abutment 28 thereon, a reduced portion 29 and a head 30. The clip 16 having the intermediate bowed resilient portion 19' and the end portion 20' having an opening similar to that in the member 19. is mounted on said central contact 12. The inner end portion 18 of the mem ber 16 extends closely adjacent the end ortion 20 thereof, and is provided wit a.

downwardly struck recess at 31 in which the abutment 28 is adapted to seat. Thus, when a conductor 24 having the terminal 25 thereon. which is provided with an endportion 26 as previously described, is placed on the member-29 between the head and the abutment 28, the end portion 26 thereof will be clamped between the members 20' and 18 and will establish a good electrical connection, the members being readily disconnected and 35 therein connected by the straight portions 36 to form an elongated loop, the opposite end of the member being provided with laterally offset portions 37 bent so as to form an o ening that has an enlarged portion 38 an a reduced portion 39, so as to operate in the same manner as the key-hole opening in the clip 16 or 16, said wire being offset from the plane of the loop 37, so as to form the linger piece 40 which operates in the same manner as the finger piece 23 to disengage the spring clip from the central contact of the spark plug, or other similar device.

In Fig. 8, an electrical connecter 41 is shown comprising the end portions 42 and 43 connected by the elongated upwardly extending resilient loop 44, the member 42 being provided with a key-hole slot 45 and a finger piece 46 similar to what is shown in Figs. 1

to 5 inclusive, and the member 43 being.

provided with a downwardly struck portion 47 forming a recess for receiving the abutment 48 on the wood screw or similar member 49 having the reduced portion 50 between said abutment 48 and the head 51.

It will be understood that any form 0t fastening means can be used for securing the connecter to any suitable base, and that the wood screw 49 is shown merely for purpose of illustration.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by U. S. Letters Patent is:

1. An electrical connecter comprising a resilient clip having a free end portion and a headed member mounted thereon, the free end portion of said clip having an opening therein aligning with said headed member, said member extending through said opening with the head thereon normally engaging with the edge of said clip at said opening to detachably hold the free end portion of said clip in engagement with said head.

2. An electrical connector. comprising a resilient clip having sul'istantially parallel end portions, and an intermediate bowed portion connecting said end portions, one of said end portions having an opening therein and the other end portion having means projeoting therefrom through said opening into yielding interlocking engagement with the edge of the opening in said first end portion. said projecting means being provider] with an abutment and receiving a connecting terber extending through said opening and the edge of said clip at said narrow portion of said opening normally resiliently engaging said head to hold said clip in engagement with said head.

4. An electrical connecter, comprisin a resilient clip having substantially para lel end portions, and an intermediate bowed portionconnectin said end portions, one of said end portions aving an opening therein and the other end portion having a stud projectin therefrom, said stud having an enlar e head adapted to be projected through sai opening and be held interlocked therewith by the resilient action of said clip, and

' having'an abutment, said stud being'adapted to receive a connecting terminal, said first mentioned end portion clamping said terminal between itself and said abutment when said head is engaged with said end portion.

5. An electrical connecter, comprisin a resilient clip having substantially para lel end portions, and an intermediate bowed portion, and a headed member extendin between said end portions, and throng an opening in one of said portions, said head 'being mterlocked with said end portion in engagement with the outer face of said ortion due to the resiliency of said clip an an abutment on said member engaging the other of said portions, said clip being ada ted to receive a conductor about said mem er between said end portions.

6. An electrical connecter, comprisin a resilient clip having substantially para lel end portions, and an intermediate bowed portion, and a headed member extending between said end portions, one of said end portions having an opening therein having a wide portion and a narrow portion, said head being adapted to pass inwardly through the wide portion of said opening and normally engaging the outer face of said clip adjacent the narrow part of said opening.

7. An electrical connecter, comprisin a resilient clip having substantially para lel end portions, and an intermediate bowed portion, and a headed member having a portion extending between said end portions adapted to receive a conductor, one of said end portions having an opening therein havinga wide portion and a narrow portion, said head bein adapted to be projected through the wide portion of said opening and normally held in engagement with said clip adjacentthe narrow .part of said opening due to the resilient'action of said oh said end portion ofsaid clip being niovab e relative to said other end against'the resiliency thereof to align said head and the wide portion of said opening to disengage said head from the end of said clip.

8. An electrical connecter, comprising a resilient clip having substantially parallel and portions, and an intermediate bowed portion, and a headed member extending between said end portions, one of said end portions having an opening therein having a wide portion and a narrow portion, said head being adapted to be projected through the wide portion of said opening and normally engagin said clip adjacent the narrow part of sai opening, said clip being movable out of normal position to align said head and the wide portion of said openin to disengage said head from the end 0 said clip, said headed member having an abutment thereon between said end portions whereby a conductor may be clamped on said member between said end of said clip and said abutment. 7

9. An electrical connecter, comprising a headed member and a resilient clip'associated therewith having an opening having a wide ortion and a narrow portion aligning with said headed member, the head on said member extending through said opening and normally engaging with the ed e of said clip at said narrow portion of sai opening to hold said clip in enga ement with said head, said clip being bowe so that the portion of said clip having said opening exerts tit) a pressure axially and transversely of said headed member, to hold said head in alignment with the narrow ortion of said opening, said portion of said clip being axlall and transversely movable against the resi iency of said bowed portion to disengage said clip from said head. I

10. An electrical connecter, comprising a headed member and a resilient clip, said clip having a portion held in fixed position relative to said headed member, an apertured portion spaced therefrom and detachably connected with the head of said headed member and resilient means normall hold ing said apertured ortion in inter ocking engagement withsai head to prevent separation of said spaced clip portions and to clamp a terminal between said headed member and said apertured portion of said clip.

11. An electrical connecter, comprising a headed member and a resilient clip, said clip having a portion held in fixed position relative to said headed member, an apertured portion spaced therefrom and detachably connected with the head of said headed member and a spring connecting said portions and normally holding said apertured por- W portion detachably connected with the head ,of said headed member and resilient means normally holding said apertured portion in engagement with said head, said means holding said apertured portion in such a position that said portion must be moved in two different directions to disengage the same from said head.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day of May, A. D. 1922.

? WALTER P. GISSKE. 

